Chapter 1491: Chapter 1540: Meng Xiaofei’s Growth
Li Yifei had improved, his senses in all aspects heightened, following that nightmarish dream, even his five senses becoming sharper. The sound of the wind blowing through the distant trees became clearer, and the even more distant ebb and flow of ocean waves was more distinct. He could even hear the old couple of the neighboring fisherman family whispering early in the morning. What they were discussing was about Li Yifei and Meng Xiaofei, and of course, it was all goodwill.
The shark from yesterday, Li Yifei had divided it into parts, keeping only the fins. He and Meng Xiaofei ate it, and the rest was distributed to the surrounding neighbors. So, the old fisherman couple was saying the new neighbors next door were kind-hearted, the woman was cute and beautiful, and the man was capable.
Li Yifei had a smile at the corner of his mouth, feeling quite good all morning. Such a hard-earned improvement was what he had exchanged his life for, so Li Yifei felt at ease and deserved it.
After breakfast, Li Yifei was ready to take Meng Xiaofei out for the last day before they planned to return home the next day.
Before leaving, Meng Xiaofei changed her mind. She said she didn’t want to go anywhere, preferring to stay home and spend the day quietly.
Li Yifei confirmed that Meng Xiaofei was serious, nodded, and said, "Alright then, we’ll stay at home today. I’ll cook the remaining lobster for lunch."
"Hehe, sounds great," Meng Xiaofei immediately smiled happily, looking at Li Yifei with a smile, thinking to herself, "Wherever you are, that’s where the best place is."
Since they weren’t going out, Li Yifei changed into casual clothes, and Meng Xiaofei wore a dress, occasionally flitting past Li Yifei without the slightest concern about propriety between them.
At noon, Li Yifei prepared to cook but discovered he was short of two ingredients. Once Meng Xiaofei knew, she immediately said, "I’ll go buy them."
"Are you sure?"
Meng Xiaofei lifted her chin and said, "Why wouldn’t I be? I know where the supermarket is, and even if I won’t speak, I can find it myself. Leave it to me."
Li Yifei waved his hand and said, "Alright then, you go. I can’t leave here."
Meng Xiaofei pouted, changed into another dress, grabbed a small wallet, and walked out.
Li Yifei continued cooking, but after about ten minutes, when Meng Xiaofei hadn’t returned, he turned off the stove and walked out of the kitchen. Just stepping out, Li Yifei’s ears twitched as he heard a commotion.
Damn, something’s happened. Li Yifei listened for a few seconds and realized the situation.
In the distance, Meng Xiaofei was being surrounded by a few oddly dressed young men. One of the men was attempting to touch Meng Xiaofei’s chin but got his hand slapped away by her. Instead of being angry, the man laughed heartily, pointing at Meng Xiaofei and laughing with the others, muttering incoherently.
Meng Xiaofei couldn’t understand but knew it wasn’t anything good. She held a stern face, clutching the condiment bottle in her hand, ready to throw it anytime.
There were four of them. They had spotted Meng Xiaofei before she went to the supermarket and waited on the road for her return.
Seeing Meng Xiaofei coming back, they surrounded her, making lewd remarks. Seeing Meng Xiaofei angry, they grew more smug. The one who reached out first was Kawamoto Goroku, a notorious local troublemaker from nearby fishing villages. The others were his followers. He usually bullied and extorted women in these villages, a local tyrant of sorts.
Meng Xiaofei took a step back, avoiding their extended hand again, glanced at them coldly, and said in a stern voice, "Please move. I don’t know you and don’t want to. If you keep touching me, don’t blame me for being unkind!"
"Chinaman?" Kawamoto Goroku confirmed Meng Xiaofei’s identity, suddenly becoming more arrogant, and laughed loudly, "Haha, a Chinaman coming to my Great Japan territory... oh, little girl, don’t be afraid. Even though you’re a Chinaman, I’ll still be gentle with you."
Meng Xiaofei understood the word "Chinaman," which was derogatory to Huaxia people, so her face turned even more stern. She gripped the condiment bottle tightly in her hand, ready to smash it on the man’s head.
Seeing Meng Xiaofei not responding, one of them took a step forward, continuing to shout, "It’s been a long time since the brothers have seen such a beauty. Look at that chest, just those would last me half the night, hahaha."
The lackeys immediately nodded and bowed. Some said yes, and someone else asked if they could also enjoy her after their boss was done, as if Meng Xiaofei was already just a plaything to them.
After a few words, as Meng Xiaofei tried to walk away, they surrounded her again, and this time went directly to grab her.
"Get lost!" Meng Xiaofei shouted lightly, throwing the condiment bottle in her hand. Kawamoto Goroku instinctively raised his hand to block, the glass bottle hitting his wrist with a bang, sending a sharp pain through him. Kawamoto Goroku’s face twisted with rage, and he cursed, "Damn Chinaman woman! You dare to hit me? I’ll put you in bed today and show you my power!"
After saying that, Kawamoto Goroku reached out to grab Meng Xiaofei, while the other three blocked her surroundings to prevent her from escaping.
Just as Meng Xiaofei was about to call out for Li Yifei, a somewhat aged but urgent voice came through. It was the old fisherman neighbor, carrying a wooden stick, rushing over while shouting, "Stop, you despicable people, stop!"
Hearing the voice, Kawamoto Goroku and his group paused and turned. Seeing it was an old man, Kawamoto Goroku immediately chuckled disdainfully, tilted his head, and waited for the old man to come over before saying, "Hey, Old Yoshino, aren’t you at home waiting to die? Running here with a stick, are you looking to die?"
The old fisherman, also known as Yoshino, immediately retorted, "Kawamoto, this girl is a guest of the village; you can’t be rude to her!"
"Haha, you old geezer, when did my affairs become your concern?" said Kawamoto Goroku again, "So this woman is from your family? Great, let me enjoy her, and I’ll protect you from now on. Nobody will dare to bully you."
Yoshino was so angry that his body trembled, his eyes bulged, and he chastised, "Enough, Kawamoto, don’t go too far. This girl is a guest of our fishing village; you can’t be rude to her."
Meng Xiaofei watched from the side. She wasn’t actually very afraid, knowing Li Yifei was cooking at home not far away, and she was facing just a few ordinary people. Having been through life-and-death experiences, Meng Xiaofei’s mind had matured. Facing this level of villains, she didn’t even feel her heartbeat increase much.
Having just smashed a bottle, Meng Xiaofei felt no burden, but the appearance of the old fisherman moved her somewhat. The old man, despite his age, stood up with a stick against these hooligans for her.
"Rude? Old man, if you dare say another word, I’ll kill you first!" Kawamoto Goroku furrowed his brows, pointing at Yoshino threateningly.
Yoshino grasped the stick tightly in both hands, not retreating an inch, and replied, "Shameless, then come and taste my stick!"
Hearing Yoshino speak like this, Kawamoto Goroku’s face contorted fiercely, with an exaggerated expression. He strode forward and raised his foot to kick Yoshino.
Yoshino also swung up his wooden stick, ready to counterattack.
Meng Xiaofei widened her eyes and urgently shouted to stop, but it was a bit late. However, an astonishing scene unfolded. Not only did Yoshino the old fisherman avoid being kicked, but he also struck Kawamoto Goroku’s leg with his stick, making Kawamoto yelp in pain. Yoshino followed with a horizontal sweep, hitting Kawamoto’s waist, causing him to clutch his waist and kneel to the ground.
However, Yoshino, being an old man, although he hit effectively, the damage was not enough to aggravate Kawamoto Goroku, who, becoming ferocious, got up from the ground. He waved and let his three underlings surround Yoshino, preparing to gang up on him.
Yoshino still held onto his wooden stick. He drew the attention of the gangsters, naturally keeping Meng Xiaofei safe. So, he hurriedly shouted, "Run."
Meng Xiaofei understood his intention, but there was no way she could leave. If she escaped, Yoshino would be beaten up. At his age, a beating could be deadly, so Meng Xiaofei didn’t flee but bent down to pick up a large stone from the ground. She threw it with both hands, almost hitting one of the thugs, scaring him to jump aside while cursing out loud.
Then, Meng Xiaofei pulled out a half-meter-long wooden stick from the nearby fence, held it in her hand, and struck a defensive pose, imitating Sophia’s stance back then.
"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Beat them, and this fishing village will be labeled unwelcome!" yelled Kawamoto Goroku. From his waist, he drew a baton, ready to strike Yoshino.
At this moment, Li Yifei heard the yelling and rushed over, just in time to witness the scene from dozens of meters away. His figure flickered; noticing someone raising a stick to hit Yoshino, he kicked a stone into the air.
The stone under his foot flew out at incredible speed, seemingly with a sound of breaking through the air, and it hit Kawamoto Goroku’s wrist swiftly. This made Kawamoto, who was about to swing down, cry out in agony, stagger sideways, and lose control of the stick, sending it flying.
The other three thugs were stunned, looking in the direction the stone came from and discovering Li Yifei.
Li Yifei was no longer using evasive techniques but walked over slowly, his face calm.
Meng Xiaofei waved to Li Yifei past the thugs, as well as waved the stick in her hands, and shouted, "Brother Li, I’m here, I’m fine, it was the grandpa from next door who saved me just now."
Upon hearing the word "saved," Li Yifei understood even more the nature of the entire incident. He nodded gently and said, "It’s good that you’re okay. Help the grandpa up!"
Meng Xiaofei nodded, jogged over to Yoshino’s side, and helped the old man up, repeatedly expressing her thanks.
Kawamoto Goroku, clutching his arm, got up from the ground for the second time, his eyes somewhat bloodshot, glaring at Li Yifei, who was walking over step by step.